India started out with a bang in the first ODI against Sri Lanka and then managed to defeat the hosts in the second game as well. However, it was third time lucky for the Sri Lankans who won the third game via the Duckworth Lewis Method. Here are some of the highlights of the third ODI where India’s so-called B Team faced off against the Sri Lankans.
This game saw 5 new players getting capped - Earlier Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav had made their debuts in the first ODI. s importantly we saw Rahul Dravid take up the mantle of coach.
Wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson, left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya, left-handed batsman Nitish Rana, leg spinner Rahul Chahar and off-spinner Kishnappa Gowtham made their debuts.
Former bowler Venkatesh Prasad tweeted this to show his support for the so-called B team of Indian cricket.
Led by Shikhar Dhawan this team may not have all the stars of the cricketing firmament but it does not lack in talent, grit or match-winning players.
India won the toss and decided to bat, making 225 in 43.1 overs. Prithvi Shaw top-scored with 49 for India. It was a rain-curtailed match.
Debutant Sanju Samson, as well as Prithvi Shaw both, missed their half-centuries narrowly.
Rain swayed the fortunes of the match. In the end, Sri Lanka made 227 for 7 wickets in 39 overs.
There were some decisions that required deliberation.
Indian cricketer and Twitter-wit Wasim Jaffer opined that the right decision had been made in the end after all the dithering.
The flamboyant, hard-hitting Hardik Pandya failed to make much of an impression.
Akila Dananjaya and Praveen Jayawickrama picked up three wickets each to dismiss India cheaply.
The target was 227 in 47 overs (revised by the DK method). The Lankans got there in just 39 overs losing seven wickets in the process.
Former Sri Lankan player Ranatunga had expressed his misgivings about the national team playing India's B team. However, it turned out to be a good contest in the end. India won the ODI series against Sri Lanka 2-1 by comprehensively winning the first ODI, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in the second and losing the third.
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